The All New ISB Wellness Center

By Emi Madsen

March 2022

Mr. Robbins will soon be opening a student wellness center at ISB.

The ISB student wellness center will be in room B103 across from Ms. Hawks’ art class. Students will be able to use the center as a way to take a quick break and reset from the high-stress environment of the school. The wellness center provides a relaxing space so that students who are feeling overwhelmed can go to class feeling ready to put their best foot forward. Especially for ISB students that have an intense workload and put in a lot of energy to school. “It is essential to take short relaxation breaks and have light moments in between all the hard work,” says Mr. Robbins. Another objective of the wellness center is to offer immediate assistance to students feeling a need for emotional support. Mr. Robbins says, “We do not expect students to manage things like depression or anxiety all on their own”.

Being the school social worker, Mr. Robbins’s job is to provide guidance, support, and resources to students and families. Mr. Robbins helps students that are facing barriers that prevent them from succeeding academically. He is always looking for ways to better the learning environment for students. The idea to start the wellness center came from the movement in recent years to set aside space in high-stress environments (like high schools) for students to destress and get a break. In the Beaverton School District, many other high schools have started up wellness centers.

Students can expect the wellness room to be a peaceful, quiet, relaxing place. It will have mellow, soft lighting in contrast to the bright, harsh lights of hallways and classrooms. There will also be a variety of seating accommodations such as bean bags, rocking chairs, and a long table. Healthy snacks and drinks will be provided along with a tea-making station and a raised bar. The walls will be decorated by the National Art Honor Society alongside posters with mental health information and resources. There will always be a staff member present, which will usually be Mr. Robbins.

ISB students hold the capability to understand their own needs, so students can best utilize this new resource by recognizing when the wellness center would be helpful to them. Everyone is welcome, and students can attend the wellness centers drop-in hours for a quick break from the classroom. If students find themselves needing more individual support they can schedule an appointment with Mr. Robbins in person or by using the QR code outside the classroom.

The wellness center will also be accessible to students after school, a calm space to wait for a ride or after-school activity. Mr. Robbins plans on implementing a full school day schedule for the center that includes both appointment-only times and drop-in times. “Anytime a student comes to the wellness center during a class period it will be crucial that this is communicated to the classroom teachers,” says Mr. Robbins.

As for the actual schedule of the center, Mr. Robbins explains it saying, “The preliminary schedule we are going to try is to alternate between Advisory/AT days and non-Advisory/AT days. On Advisory/AT days, from the time Advisory begins at 10:10 to the end of 3rd lunch at 12:45, the center will be open for drop-in. Student passes will be available during lunch periods just like for the library. I picture this drop-in period to be like using the library so that students can come and work if they choose or just to sit quietly by themselves. We will limit talking out of respect for students wanting some peace. On Advisory/AT days the other class periods will be used for students to have appointments with me. The schedule will be reversed on non-Advisory/AT days. Every day after school is open for drop-in and we will just have to make sure to keep the numbers low because of Covid protocols and our goal to maintain the calm and quiet atmosphere.” Students can visit the wellness center as much as they want, but it will be important to have the integrity to not overuse this resource. A visit to the wellness center during the drop-in time should be 5-15 minutes.

Mr. Robbins wishes for students to know,” I am always open to feedback about what is working and what is not. This is a space for students and we want it to be useful, so if students have ideas about how to make it better I would love to hear from them. They can contact me directly with an email and the wellness center sign-in form will also have a space for feedback.”